How Religion Evolved - and why it survives
When did humans develop spiritual thought? What is religion's evolutionary purpose? And in our increasingly secular world, why has it endured?
Every society in the history of humanity has lived with religion. In How Religion Evolved, its origins are tracked back to what Robin Dunbar terms the 'mystical stance' - the aspect of human psychology that predisposes us to believe in a transcendent world, and which makes an encounter with the spiritual possible. He will explore world religions and their many derivatives, as well as religions of experience practised by hunter-gatherer societies. This instinct is not a peculiar human quirk, an aberration on our otherwise efficient evolutionary journey. Rather, religion confers an advantage: it can benefit our individual health and wellbeing, but, more importantly, it fosters social bonding at large scale, helping hold fractious societies together. These dimensions might provide the basis for an overarching theory for why and how humans are religious, and so help unify the myriad strands that currently populate this field. Drawing on path-breaking research, clinical case studies and fieldwork from around the globe, as well as stories of charismatic cult leaders, mysterious sects and lost faiths, How Religion Evolved will offer a fascinating and far-reaching analysis of this quintessentially human impulse - to believe.
Of How Religion Evolved critics have said:
"It is no surprise that he delivers a landmark book that completely reshapes our understanding of religious belief" Prof Richard Sosis
"How Religion Evolved is learned, readable & sweeping.....and hard to argue with." Nick Spencer, Financial Times
"Stimulating and hugely ambitious.....a compelling intellectual workout" Matthew Reisz, Observer
"The answer given by Robin Dunbar to the questions how religion evolved and why it endures is not one that religious people might venture. His book knits a complex weave of relatively casual observations from the history of religion, alongside technical discussions of mentalising and group dynamics.Overall, the case is well made that Homo sapiens has always been Homo spiritualis" Mark Vernon, Church Times
Robin Dunbar is Emeritus Professor of Evolutionary Psychology at the University of Oxford. He is perhaps most famous for the 'Dunbar Number', which is the 150 individuals that each human can sustain meaningful relationships with. His work in anthropology and psychology focuses on the mechanisms that underpin social bonding in primates in general, and humans in particular. He considers that understanding these mechanisms, which includes religion, and the functions that those relationships serve, will give us insights into how humans have managed to create large scale societies using a form of psychology that is evolutionarily adapted to very small scale societies, and why these mechanisms are less than perfect in the modern world. He has authored numerous books in the fields of evolutionary psychology and anthropology. He is also a patron of Humanists UK, and was one of the first national Darwin Day lecturers when the event was established in the early 2000's.
Everyone is welcome. Bristol Humanists members have FREE entry. Non-members we ask for a contribution of £5/£2
